Never mind a couple of pennies behind the sofa, the average British household has £325 worth of items that they will never use hiding under the stairs, in the attic, and lurking under the bed.
Books are the most-hoarded item in the UK, with almost 21 million Britons (four in five households) admitting that they have a stash of literature that they will never open again. The advance in home technology has also made its mark in many British households, as vinyl LPs, mobile phones, old videos and VHS recorders, camcorders and computer accessories make up the bulk of the UK’s unwanted items. Watches and jewellery are the other items that make up the top-10 of those most-hoarded in the UK.
Top-ten “most hoarded items” in the UK
Item
Numbers hoarded in UK
1.
Books
20,700,000
2.
Watchs
17,550,000
3.
Records
16,200,000
4.
Mobile phones
15,300,000
5.
VHS videos
14,850,000
6.
Jewellery
14,400,000
7.
Soft toy or teddy bear
13,950,000
8.
Camera or camcorder
13,950,000
9.
Ornaments
13,950,000
10.
Computer or computer accessories
13,050,000
Richard Kanareck, spokesperson for eBay.co.uk said: “Britain is a ‘nation of hoarders’ . While we might want to keep a teddy bear or treasured piece of jewellery, there’s no sense hanging on to an old mobile phone or the power tool that you’re never going to put to use, but which someone else might treasure.”
Hoarding trends across the UK
Around the country, the Welsh were found to be the biggest hoarders. The average household has £440-worth of knick-knacks and hidden treasures that are no longer in use. The Scots come a close second with £386 each. At the other end of the scale, the East Anglians are those with the barest attics in the country – just £278-worth of goods are stashed away.
Richard Kanareck concludes: “Research shows that East Anglians are the UK’s most avid eBay users and Norwich the eBay capital, so it’s no surprise to see the east of England at the foot of this table.”
Region
Value of unwanted goods per person
Value for region as a whole
Wales
£440
£985,906,240
Scotland
£386
£1,529,774,742
North East
£332
£648,309,680
West Midlands
£326
£1,315,146,266
South East
£320
£1,986,784,000
North West
£313
£1,614,723,493
Yorks & Humber
£312
£1,192,465,248
East Midlands
£317
£1,024,330,342
London
£314
£1,743,801,826
South West
£301
£1,165,170,699
East Anglia
£278
£1,160,275,812
Where to find the hidden treasures in your home
Room
Likely value of cast-offs per UK household
Bedroom
£101
Kids bedroom
£19
Home Office
£293
Lounge
£19
Kitchen
£21
Garage
£57
Total values for UK broken down by number of items and approximate total value available on request